Insert the Spider-Man Pointing Meme Here: My Experience at LA Comic Con 2021
LACC 2021. Photo by Dana Vargas.
As comic cons go, I have no problem admitting I’m a bit of a newb. I’ve attended a few Southern California cons over the years like StocktonCon and Monsterpalooza, but I had not yet tackled the big boys, specifically San Diego International Comic Con and LA Comic Con. That changed this past weekend, when I finally got to experience the neurosensory overload that was the 10th Annual LA Comic Con.
Photo by Dana Vargas.
The event, held December 3-5th at the LA Convention Center in downtown LA, drew thousands of attendees, hungry for everything sci-fi, superhero, animation, horror, and pop culture related. Families, cosplayers, and fans packed the South West Hall over the weekend to listen to panels on everything from the future of virtual reality gaming to how to make giant cosplays that can fit in a suitcase (no joke, that was a real panel). But the real draw was LACC’s main stage, where over the weekend the cast of Spongebob Squarepants, The Mandalorian, Smallville, Shazam’s ZACHARY LEVI, and Ash himself, BRUCE CAMPBELL, took center stage.
I was able to attend Campbell’s Q&A session with the crowd, which consisted of him walking the stage in a sharp, royal blue suit, microphone in hand, like it was his very own “boomstick”, spitting out hilarious responses and one-liners at the audience like he was taking out deadites one by one. To the crowd’s audible disappointment, Campbell did again confirm he would not be appearing physically as Ash in any more Evil Dead movies, though he did remind the crowd that Evil Dead Rises, which he is executive producing along with SAM RAIMI, will be coming out in 2022, as well as an Evil Dead video game, which he confirmed will feature the voices of returning cast members of the original Evil Dead film.
The man himself, BRUCE CAMPBELL, onstage at LACC 2021. Photo by Dana Vargas.
Though more comic/anime/superhero focused, LACC did still offer some solid horror options for the more spooky-loving fan (like me). Panels like Meet the Cast of: Resident Evil, Inside the Horror Film Bundy Manor, and Women in Horror, provided a refreshing contrast to the glut of superhero and sci-fi panels, Q&A’s, and events that dominated the event. Don’t get me wrong, I’m not hating on any of that, and, in fact, I actually really enjoyed the Spongebob cast Q&A. However, LACC knows its demographic and it is superheroes and cosplayers. And while it would be great to see more horror- based panels, vendors, and events, LACC 2021 did have a few solid standouts in the genre. The Women in Horror panel sponsored by Geekfest was especially noteworthy, featuring such up-and-coming women in the genre like writer/actress MEGAN ROSATI (Two Sentence Horror Stories, Fatale Collective: Bleed), actress/producer/writer CHLOE CARROL (The Honeymoon Phase), actress REBEKAH KENNEDY (Creature, The Conduit, Two Witches, The Demons Within) and producer/editor DANI PARKER (Midnight Mass).
Geekfest’s Women in Horror panel at LACC 2021. Photo by Dana Vargas.
Legion M Entertainment, who were responsible for 2018’s horror hit, Mandy, and were one of the sponsors for the event, also were in attendance with their own booth, complete with a life-like NICHOLAS CAGE “Red” head from the film. They confirmed they had wrapped on their upcoming true-crime thriller, The Man in the White Van, starring SEAN ASTIN (Stranger Things) and ALI LARTER (The Rookie, Resident Evil Retribution) and that the film is still set to release later on in 2022 (though no exact premiere date has been set as of now).
“Please do not touch. Red wouldn’t like it.” Photo by Dana Vargas.
If you were looking for horror merch at LACC, you had to look hard, but there were a few booths serving up some great collectibles. I was able to score a large, 10-inch Michael Myers and a pre-pigs blood prom-outfitted Carrie Funko Pop! from online retailer NAV Toys and Collectibles. Perhaps one of the most heavily attended merchant booths at the event, City of Industry’s own Superbad Action Figures (IG @superbadactionfigures), also happened to have the largest selection at the con of horror-related collectibles, including a $275 Sideshow Collectibles Michael Myers Deluxe Sixth Scale Figure that I seriously had to talk myself out of buying (I opted for a more reasonable, but no less awesome NECA Halloween 3 Figures Pack).
Just a few of the horror offerings at Superbad Action Figures booth at LACC 2021. Photo by Dana Vargas.
But let’s face it, comic cons are kind of like Halloween. You come for the candy but stay for the costumes, and LACC did not slouch on the cosplayers this year, even in the world of horror. The Silent Hill franchise was well-represented with a few pyramid heads and nurses, there was one or two Neegans’ from The Walking Dead, as well as a Resident Evil Lady Alcina, who very nicely posed for a picture for me. And even though anime and superheroes dominated the cosplay crowd this year, there were still the occasional Jason Vorhees, Michael Myers, and even a sweet little Trick-or-Treat’s Sam to delight the horror lovers.
Resident Evil’s Lady Alcina in attendance at LACC 2021. Photo by Dana Vargas.
If you are a die-hard horror fan, LACC is honestly not going to be the con to cater to your spooky needs (there’s a reason it’s called COMIC Con, after all). However, this year’s spooky-related offerings were definitely worth the packed crowds and long lines, and hopefully LACC 2022 opens the door even wider to its horror brethren, and embraces us in its glittery, green-painted, and very ample, bosom.
